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My men

My men and the little lady

Cameron kissing Ember's head

Ember had a little jaundice, so we laid him in the sun. I wanted as much skin showing as possible, however Ohio is chilly in May so I also wanted him as covered as possible and we cranked the heat up.

I would continuously scoot him  more into the sun and he would continuously scoot his little face (and usually his whole body) out of it.

He did a lot of sleeping on our big couch at this point.

The shinny stuff on his eye is medicine for his clogged tear duct. It's been 6 months now and we haven't been able to get rid of it for more than a few days at a time. As soon as the weather cools just a little, it comes right back.

Cameron found a tire pressure gage, we had a flat tire that day. It was just after I came home from the hospital the second time. John had never changed a flat before so I had to go out and assist him. 

Before Ember got too wiggly, Cameron really like helping with bottles. He still does on occasion, but now Ember gets really excited when Cameron holds it and wants to play instead of eat.

Cam rubbing the bridge of Embers nose, he realizes I do this to him when I am trying to get Cam to go to sleep.

Cameron's magic fingers... wooo, I can make Ember go to sleep. This was really cute because he said "Woooo," and wiggled his fingers and head like he was putting Ember into a trance.  

At the drive-in movie theater. Here is a post about another time we went there.

Ember's first tummy time

More sleeping on the couch. His swelling had finally gone down at this point.

Nia had taken Cameron to the park here.

Photos

Here are a few photos from this past year that I haven't posted yet. All of these that do not include Ember were taken just before he was born

When I was pregnant with Ember, Cameron would cuddle up to my belly and have somewhat long conversations (in toddler speak) with his coming baby brother. It was extremely precious and the following picture is of one of these times. I never would have realized how much a child could deeply love and want their younger sibling before his birth if I had not had the opportunity to witness this with Cameron. It gave me  treasured look into my little guys heart and glimpse of the wonderful man he is becoming. 

This was Ember the day we brought him home from the hospital. I made the little hat he was wear. It turned out larger than all the other newborn hats we already owned and I didn't think it would fit for a while. It's not in the images below because it was really a pinch too small and wouldn't stay on. 

A wonderful lady from our church made this blanket for Ember. I cherish it! She told me she hadn't made one for anybody in years, but really wanted me to have it.

I took this picture so I could text to my mom and share that fabulous red hair!

My poor little guy's face was really bruised from the delivery. 

Doesn't he look so sweet swaddled in the blanket made with so much love. 

The trip home

Um, yes that is Java Central, my favorite coffee house in the background there. He had been in so many times while still in the womb, John and thought he might want to see the place.

One of my favorite pictures!

She is such an amazing sister. My younger kids are so lucky to have her in their lives. As you can tell by the look and love on that face, she LOVES being the oldest and taking care of her younger siblings.

maybe there is a hint of lack of sleep here also...

Even though she 13, Nia still accumulates more cuddle time with me than the other kids. I love it!

This is Cameron wondering just how far he run before someone can get off our porch and catch up to him.

These two were laughing and giggling for several minutes when John snapped this one. That much fun just playing with a blanket. They will keep each other entertained for the rest of their lives.

Essential Oils: Cleaning and Sanitizing Spray

What prompted me to find an alternative to my regular cleaning and sanitizing spray and hand sanitizer.

Three reasons really:

1- For the last few years I have used vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean with. It does the trick of killing germs and getting stuff clean, but the smell leaves a LOT to be desired.

2- A few weeks ago my oldest friend Melissa (not oldest, like she is sooo old, but oldest, as in I've literally known her since the day I was born) asked me if there was an oil that could be used as a multi-purpose cleaning spray.

3- Cameron has developed a pallet for hand sanitizer, and I'm sure you're not supposed to eat that chemical filled gel.

So the search began and here is the recipe for my 

Natural multi-purpose cleaning spray/hand sanitizer:

In a spray bottle with 2 cups of water add
8 drops clove oil
4 drops lemon oil
4 drops orange oil
4 drops eucalyptus oil
4 drops cinnamon oil
2 drops rosemary oil
note: the orange and lemon oils can be substituted for each other

This is non-toxic and is safe to spray on things like your baby's high chair and if you use it for hand sanitizer, it's not a big deal if your kid licks their hands immediately after. It's also not a big deal if your 3 year old decides to drink it. Although I wouldn't encourage them to do so, it isn't harmful like drinking other cleaners or sanitizers would be, but probably doesn't taste great. These are the same oils that would be found in a thieves oil blend (produced by both young living or mountain rose herbs also known as OnGuard by the doterra company). You can easy use one of the pre-mixed thieves oil blends instead of this mix. If you opt for a thieves blend, use one drop per ounce of water.

So far, I'm really liking it as a cleaner. It smells great and is really good at getting up sticky stuff that has sat a while. I'm still a little undecided as a hand sanitizer. It seems to dry out my skin a little, however I'm not as worried when I see Cameron trying to eat it.

Check out my post on Essential Oils: Lavender (Here)